SF: I really feel that achieving that balance is partly about the channels that damage is dealt through in this game, and that having skills as your only [method of] dealing damage would allow for pretty large imbalances.

So in the first Puzzle Quest, you had skills plus spells to deal damage. That allowed two ways of dealing damage, and of course you can deal more damage that way.

So a good player can manipulate the game; using spells and the board will deal more damage. That will kind of bring him back, if he gets behind. Some good players will bring themselves back.

We've added a third channel of dealing damage in Puzzle Quest 2, which is the action points and weapon system. We feel that it makes it easier for us to balance the game.